Why Wigan have no place in the top flight

[Rapid]

Play offs are the biggest games of a season, the Premier League the biggest prize.

It took 46 long games to get through to get to this stage.

And then... Not enough Wigan fans give a **** enough to turn up to watch it.

The number of empty seats in the first leg tonight is actually embarrassing, total lack of an atmosphere.

With support as bad as this, I see no place for Wigan in the Premier League. They are a lower league club artificially elevated by their owners finances.

Echoes a post I did a while ago trouble is Wigan isn't a football town hence the lack of a fan base however, one does have to admire what Whelan has done for the club which was non league in recent history.[/quote]
you really need to do your homework...
the last home game at the DW the attendance was over 19,000 with 3,000 from Blackpool.. that left 16,000 home

[Fletch_11]

Play offs are the biggest games of a season, the Premier League the biggest prize.

It took 46 long games to get through to get to this stage.

And then... Not enough Wigan fans give a **** enough to turn up to watch it.

The number of empty seats in the first leg tonight is actually embarrassing, total lack of an atmosphere.

With support as bad as this, I see no place for Wigan in the Premier League. They are a lower league club artificially elevated by their owners finances.

Echoes a post I did a while ago trouble is Wigan isn't a football town hence the lack of a fan base however, one does have to admire what Whelan has done for the club which was non league in recent history.[/quote]
you really need to do your homework...
the last home game at the DW the attendance was over 19,000 with 3,000 from Blackpool.. that left 16,000 home

[triz]

Play offs are the biggest games of a season, the Premier League the biggest prize.

It took 46 long games to get through to get to this stage.

And then... Not enough Wigan fans give a **** enough to turn up to watch it.

The number of empty seats in the first leg tonight is actually embarrassing, total lack of an atmosphere.

With support as bad as this, I see no place for Wigan in the Premier League. They are a lower league club artificially elevated by their owners finances.

Very surprised at you Ramondo. If this topic was started on our board the Usual Suspects (hi Triz) would be on it like a rash spouting that it's on the pitch that matters.

Which it does.[/quote]


Hi whoever you are

[RamFromCornwall]

I think the main question you need to ask yourself is, would you rather support a team that's not well supported but a solid Premier League side like Wigan were before their relegation, or would you rather support a very well supported side but be stuck in the Championship or even lower?

[Ramondo]

I just don't buy this 'we're not a big city and there are other big clubs in our catchment area' argument.

We're not talking about regular league games here. The play offs are the biggest games in a clubs season and if a club can't get close to selling out for it at home then it begs the question whether the demand is really there to support a team in the top flight.

I get the lower attendances for league games, I appreciate times are hard and different clubs have different catchment areas. But there must surely be enough people who are either regular/semi regular/occasional supporters AND 'floating' fans who take an interest but hardly ever go to lift the numbers for significant games like this.

Take Burton Albion - they do well if they get crowds of 3000 including away fans but when they played Man U in the cup a few years back they took 11,000 fans to Old Trafford because it was a massive game and there were enough people in the area who got excited about it.

If you can't get ex

[Rapid]

I think the main question you need to ask yourself is, would you rather support a team that's not well supported but a solid Premier League side like Wigan were before their relegation, or would you rather support a very well supported side but be stuck in the Championship or even lower?

the question isn't very realistic no matter how hypothetical. clubs get promoted and relegated. the smaller clubs inevitably get lower revenue unless they have an abramovic. that means that eventually the smaller clubs get relegated and put in their place. that's what happened to wigan last season. they struggled to compete financially even with whelen's backing.

so it's a no brainer for me. the better supported club not doing too well will have their time again eventually.

that said I'm a big believer in supporting your town/cities local team.

[RamFromCornwall]

I think the main question you need to ask yourself is, would you rather support a team that's not well supported but a solid Premier League side like Wigan were before their relegation, or would you rather support a very well supported side but be stuck in the Championship or even lower?

the question isn't very realistic no matter how hypothetical. clubs get promoted and relegated. the smaller clubs inevitably get lower revenue unless they have an abramovic. that means that eventually the smaller clubs get relegated and put in their place. that's what happened to wigan last season. they struggled to compete financially even with whelen's backing.

so it's a no brainer for me. the better supported club not doing too well will have their time again eventually.

that said I'm a big believer in supporting your town/cities local team.[/quote]

You can't help it if you support your home

[Rapid]

I think the main question you need to ask yourself is, would you rather support a team that's not well supported but a solid Premier League side like Wigan were before their relegation, or would you rather support a very well supported side but be stuck in the Championship or even lower?

the question isn't very realistic no matter how hypothetical. clubs get promoted and relegated. the smaller clubs inevitably get lower revenue unless they have an abramovic. that means that eventually the smaller clubs get relegated and put in their place. that's what happened to wigan last season. they struggled to compete financially even with whelen's backing.

so it's a no brainer for me. the better supported club not doing too well will have their time again eventually.

that said I'm a big believer in supporting your town/cities local team

[AngryRam]

The Wigan egg chasers were playing last night so that would have taken a few off the attendance.

[UpTheRams1884]

**** support both of them.